flâneur

Running away (Life Update) - Will Hathaway: Genuine ecstasy

willhath.substack.com · 1,071 words · saved by 1 readers

If I became extremely depressed — my career failed spectacularly, or all my friends disowned me, or I got addicted to opiates — I would get up, pack my backpack, and walk off into the woods, never to be seen again. I would escape all the foils of modern industrialized life, and become an enlightened wise old man of the forest. I may end up using this plan sooner than I expected. Not because I’m depressed, but because it’s the only story that I am capable of living in a compelling way right now. But first, some context: Over the course of the summer, I (with the help of some friends) managed to get an internship at OpenAI. We showed enough promise that the company extended full-time offers to all of us, with a negotiable start date any time between now and July. It’s probably impossible to overstate how big a deal this was to us. In my social circles, OpenAI engenders similar emotions to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory. A fantastical, mysterious place that produces seemingly magical thi

When I was in high school, I came up with a foolproof plan in case I ever wanted to kill myself. If I became extremely depressed — my career failed spectacularly, or all my friends disowned me, or I got addicted to opiates — I would get up, pack my backpack, and walk off into the woods, never to be seen again. I would escape all the foils of modern industrialized life, and become an enlightened wise old man of the forest. I may end up using this plan sooner than I expected. Not because I’m depressed, but because it’s the only story that I am capable of living in a compelling way right now.…

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